Ok I'm really gonna do it this time (maybe)

[Z3r0r3aD'/]

I did everything I could think of, including a bake sale and cleaning my neighbors windows, to come up with $200ish for the Pocket Edge. I'm a full time college student, I will be for the foreseeable future. I just quit my job (as a high-rise window cleaner) so I can start getting serious about school. So any students that are having an awesome time using their PE in a college setting, tell me why I should buy this! I have a Kindle, and I think that little guy is about the greatest piece of tech I've ever seen. But it has it's limits. Those limits are blown away by the Pocket Edge, right? How much better is the PE than my outstanding pencil/eraser combo, and my bazillion, unorganized, often illegible notebooks. Seriously, I have notes EVERYWHERE! All over my house! Unit circles here, trig functions there, history notes on the floor, a wrinkled up English paper draft sticking out of the couch. It's driving me CRAZY! Is it actually helpful being able to annotate in textbooks and pdfs?
Most of my questions were asked and answered by others on the forums. That's awesome! Thanks! The community is a big part of my reason to buy, despite EnTourage possibly shutting down. I know the concept of it is exactly what I need in college right now, but I'm still nervous about a couple things. If you guys can live with or have found solutions to the following, then I'm clicking buy.

• Have the updates solved the long (60+ seconds) boot time that early reviews complained about? would it really be a problem anyway? since I'm assuming it doesn't just shut off when you close it in between classes right?
• Is it risky getting the 200$ one on Amazon from Worldwide Distributors? Someone has had success with this one right? Actually received a working item? Other option is 229$ from buy.com. I'm fine with either one, never used buy.com but I use Amazon a lot, so I'm partial. But Worldwide Distributors?
• Some people complained that the buttons had an obnoxiously loud "click" when pressed. I hate that. I find it's often a sign of shoddy construction all around. But I guess this one isn't a deal-breaker. Is it true? Does the thing feel like a toy? I liked my old Android G1 phone because it felt solid, how to describe? Had a certain heftyness to it that I felt comforting. Does the PE feel like a toy when you hold it? Or a good tool that you're going to be using the hell out of everyday? I guess I'm trying to compare my G1 to a hammer . But I like hammers.
• Is anyone still frustrated by lag on either side? EReader/Tablet? The updates make it at least a little more responsive than initial reviews showed right? Am I going to be frustrated trying to take notes in calculus because I can't see what I'm writing for a second?

I'm kind of stretching to find faults here, because It seems to be a solid product, despite the flaws, and I was sold on it as soon as I saw a student with one at my school a couple weeks ago. I'm just nervous about spending the money on it I guess. But the PE is awesome right? Just takes some getting used to right? You just have to use it to know if it's for you right? Thanks in advance for the help. You guys rock! I'm going to meditate on this for the rest of the day, and hopefully order tonight. Still nervous.

Also, I find it interesting that there are so many other threads from people who, like me, have never done this much research before buying a(n) (almost obsolete) product. I've never gone so far as to create an account on a site, just to get feedback on a product. Is it solely because, upon doing the research people, like myself, eventually find out that it's the greatest thing they'd never heard of, and then "OMG EnTourage is going under? NNOOO!" Or does it have to do with the type of personality that's attracted to something like the Edge/Pocket Edge? Being drawn to a fundamentally new type of tool in education, with a great battery life! By the way this part does not affect my decision to click that stupid buy button that I've been staring at. Nor does it really need to be answered I guess.

Thank you.

[Batman Jr.]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

• Have the updates solved the long (60+ seconds) boot time that early reviews complained about? would it really be a problem anyway? since I'm assuming it doesn't just shut off when you close it in between classes right?
• Is it risky getting the 200$ one on Amazon from Worldwide Distributors? Someone has had success with this one right? Actually received a working item? Other option is 229$ from buy.com. I'm fine with either one, never used buy.com but I use Amazon a lot, so I'm partial. But Worldwide Distributors?
• Some people complained that the buttons had an obnoxiously loud "click" when pressed. I hate that. I find it's often a sign of shoddy construction all around. But I guess this one isn't a deal-breaker. Is it true? Does the thing feel like a toy? I liked my old Android G1 phone because it felt solid, how to describe? Had a certain heftyness to it that I felt comforting. Does the PE feel like a toy when you hold it? Or a good tool that you're going to be using the hell out of everyday? I guess I'm trying to compare my G1 to a hammer . But I like hammers.
• Is anyone still frustrated by lag on either side? EReader/Tablet? The updates make it at least a little more responsive than initial reviews showed right? Am I going to be frustrated trying to take notes in calculus because I can't see what I'm writing for a second?

I haven't installed the update yet, so I can't help you with that part, but I did receive my Pocket eDGe order from Worldwide Distributors last Friday, and it was on time, professionally packaged, and in working order. As for the buttons, I haven't found the noise to be that noticeable. I had a Kindle 2 that did have a very audible/irritating combination of a click and squeak, but neither my full-size or Pocket eDGe has been a problem in that regard so far. It probably will be a matter of personal tolerance/preference, I'd guess. I can say I've had the original eDGe since it was first sold, and I've found the construction to be very solid, including after dropping it (in its case) from a height of about five feet this past week.

I'm a university professor, and find the eDGe's annotation abilities to be very useful in my research work, and judging by comments in the enTourage forums, I haven't utilized them to anywhere near their potential yet, so it may very well be something you'd like as well. Hope that helps somewhat. Take care.

[stjoe]

I've just recently started using PE. Love it. After the upgrade to Ermine (Froyo 2.2), PE becomes much more responsive including the reader side.

I think if Entourage had launched this product with Ermine, many of their early adopters would have been happy with the device and there would not be many complaints

[Filark]

Well? Did you do it??

Let us know, either here or in the enTourage forum. So many questions -- I want to know what you think if/after you become a (proud) PE owner!

(Typing this on my Pocket eDGe )

[5thWiggle]

I updated as soon as I got the PE, figuring not to risk any data loss, so I can't really answer any questions pre-Ermine.

- Boot time from power off is fairly long, but no longer then booting an iPad from power off. Mine is set to hibernate 30 seconds after closing, and I get the unlock screen about 7 sec after pressing the menu button when re-animating it.

- Being a loooong time graduate of Palm Grafitti input, the lag never bothers me. Don't really look at what you've written until you're done. The device is capturing everything, just a little slow in displaying it (e-ink technology limits). Some have reported the last stroke made by the pen is not displayed until they refresh the screen, but I haven't seen that.

- No loud clicks on mine, and construction seems much more solid than alot of the current lower price tablets I've played with. But please, no hammering!

- All technology is obsolete as soon as you buy it.

[inkyfantastic]

From one student to another, I suggest you get the full-sized Edge rather than Pocket Edge. I have them both. I love the PE, but mostly for taking short notes, reading books in bed, and traveling (which I do a lot). You can annotate PDFs on the PE, but it's hard with such a small screen. If you really want to replace your paper notebooks and annotate electronic texts (pdf, epub, whatever), then the Edge is really the way to go. It's not as compact and light at the PE, but I don't even notice the weight of it in my purse. And if you've got in lying on a desk or table, the weight of it hardly matters. Several used EEs have gone for under $300 (and even under $200) on ebay. The only problem with the EE is that some people have hibernation issues (myself included). My PE wakes up from hibernation 100% of the time, but my EE will only wake up from hibernation the first time, and then after that I have to yank the battery and reboot. That makes it a drag to restart quickly from one class to the next. But there are ways around that.

[Filark]

Z3r0, if you haven't bought already, listen to Inky. Did you see a PE or an EE at your school? The screen size will make a difference so you might take a little more time and search for bargains on the full-sized eDGe.

I debated between the EE and the PE for a long time before I bought my PE. Partly because I like it so much, I wish I had the larger model! (You know what I mean?? )

[Z3r0r3aD'/]

Still haven't bought. Thanks so much for all the advice! I was looking at the EE before I even knew there was a PE, but I haven't seen the price go below 450 for one yet. I'm sure it would drop as soon as I commit to buying something, but as it stands price is a determining factor for me at the moment. Seems to me that for the price of an EE, one could get a solid netbook instead, albeit without the dual screens, made by a more mainstream company. I'm still leaning towards the PE for now, mostly because of the price drop. Based on the slight lag when taking notes on either one, I doubt I would really be able to totally replace notebooks and pencils altogether. I write really fast in class, especially during math lectures, and I can see myself getting frustrated with the e-ink trying to keep up, or not having enough room as some have mentioned about the PE. I would imagine still having the bulk of my notes notes in paper, but possibly important stuff that I reference all the time like formulas, essay writing rules, and study guides could be written in PE. I can see how the larger screens on the EE would make a huge difference, but I really like smaller more portable devices. Then the battery issue...If I understand correctly, the EE has a shorter battery life, but a replaceable battery. The PE, since it's smaller, uses slightly less energy to power the smaller display, so longer battery life throughout the day but it will be mostly useless once the battery won't hold a charge anymore. Right? Still, I'm drawn towards the PE.

[borisb]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

The PE, since it's smaller, uses slightly less energy to power the smaller display, so longer battery life throughout the day but it will be mostly useless once the battery won't hold a charge anymore. Right? Still, I'm drawn towards the PE.

Not quite. The PE actually has a slightly shorter battery life because it has less room for a battery (and any LCD is simply a major power hog) and ultimately is running the same CPU, wifi and OS as the EE. As for the battery itself, it's the very latest in Lithium Ion Polymer and should last 3-4 years easily before you notice a capacity drop.

[Filark]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

I write really fast in class, especially during math lectures, and I can see myself getting frustrated with the e-ink trying to keep up, or not having enough room as some have mentioned about the PE. I would imagine still having the bulk of my notes notes in paper, but possibly important stuff that I reference all the time like formulas, essay writing rules, and study guides could be written in PE. I can see how the larger screens on the EE would make a huge difference, but I really like smaller more portable devices.

I think your expectations are realistic, given what you say above. Not only could you keep the things you mentioned on your PE, but you could keep your calendar/class schedule/contacts etc. And a few fun things, like books to read and games to play!

How long would you need the battery to last between charges? And how much time would you need the wifi and LCD screen to be active when you're away from an electrical outlet?

[Z3r0r3aD'/]

Maybe 4-6 total hours unplugged use on an average school day. 1-2 hours active wifi use. Probably much more or at least as much use at home on the charger as well, hopefully with an external keyboard, to do simple stuff like write papers and do research. No telling how much longer my PC is going to hold out, and laptops and netbooks are still out of my price range. I need one device that I can do productive school stuff, in some capacity, that I can always have with me.

[inkyfantastic]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

Maybe 4-6 total hours unplugged use on an average school day. 1-2 hours active wifi use. Probably much more or at least as much use at home on the charger as well, hopefully with an external keyboard, to do simple stuff like write papers and do research. No telling how much longer my PC is going to hold out, and laptops and netbooks are still out of my price range. I need one device that I can do productive school stuff, in some capacity, that I can always have with me.

The lag on the EE (or PE) with handwriting is really only split-second. I also write very fast, and have not missed a single word. I would recommend holding out for another week or two, and just keeping an eye out for the appearance of used EE sales. There really have been a few that sold on ebay for around $200. I don't think you're in any danger of missing the boat on the price reduced PE, so it doesn't hurt to wait.

[5thWiggle]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

I write really fast in class, especially during math lectures, and I can see myself getting frustrated with the e-ink trying to keep up

Remember, the lag is in displaying whats written, not capturing it. I can't write faster than the what the tablet will pick up (especially if I want to read it later ). If I'm writting that fast its because I'm watching what I'm copying and I'm not looking at the display, except for quick peeks to see how far I am from the end of the page.

[borisb]

Originally Posted by Z3r0r3aD'/

Maybe 4-6 total hours unplugged use on an average school day. 1-2 hours active wifi use. Probably much more or at least as much use at home on the charger as well, hopefully with an external keyboard, to do simple stuff like write papers and do research.

It sounds like the PE will easily handle your usage. If you close it when not using it it will hibernate and use almost no power. This means you can have about 4-6 hours active use over an 8-10 day, for example.

Note that the PE charges rather quickly. Just half an hour will charge it about 30-50%, for example.

[allovertheglobe]

- Boot time is still pretty long, but if you use hibernate, not often an issue, as long as you hook it up to AC regularly, and don't have the the hibernation lock-up issue in Ermine that some people have had (I didn't, and I'd very much recommend the upgrade)
- Got my PE from WWD, no problem at all.
- The clicks are noticeably loud on the Reader side, something I definitely noticed. But not as much on the LCD side, which I guess is mostly stuffed with the hardware, while the reader side is probably fairly empty...
- There is a lag when writing, but it's about as fast as I've experienced on an e-ink device. Like others wrote, I'd be more concerned with the screen estate when it comes to serious note-taking. I also think improvements could be made to the Journal / note-taking process as a whole, but it is better than others that I have tried